Twelve
by Qym
Summary: Twelve snippets from one year as the lives of Miley and Lilly change with the passing months. A Liley story in twelve parts.
1. January

_Thus begins my newest attempt at story-telling. The chapters are short -- only about two pages per month, but it's not meant to be a monster. Reviews, as always, are loved. They are, actually, quite necessary to my ability to write. I'm quite happy with this story, or at least the story this far. This should be completely posted within two weeks. Twelve days or less, depending on my mood._

_Happy reading, captains._

* * *

**January:**

She stared down at the blank piece of paper in front of her. Her mom sat a few feet away. Tapping a steady, impatient beat with one bare foot, she set her pencil's tip against the paper. Yet she wrote nothing.

"Mom, this is totally bogus," she complained, not for the first time. "Why do I have to do this?"

"Because, Lillian, dear, if we don't make resolutions and set goals for ourselves, who's going to do it for us?"

Lilly groaned, "This is so retarded."

Her mom raised her eyebrows, "Language."

Rolling her eyes, Lilly amended her statement, "This is mentally challenged."

"Lilly." Heather Truscott simmered quietly. "I swear… your language gets worse every day."

"Mom, I'm eighteen. It happens."

"Stop trying to change the subject. I still need five goals and or resolutions."

Lilly slid down in her chair. "Fine."

_Eat healthier_

_Get a better grade in math_

_Graduate_

_Get Oliver a girlfriend_

_Tell the truth_

Lilly set her pencil down, "There."

Her mother glanced down the short list and almost said something negative. But, upon realizing this was the best she was going to get from her wayward daughter, bit her tongue. She nodded curtly, sending Lilly fleeing from the house.

"I wonder what she means… Tell the truth? About what?"

Lilly tilted her head to the sun, trying to gain warmth even as a cool breeze tickled her knees through the holes her skateboarding escapades had ripped. She tugged on the zipper of her hooded sweatshirt idly as she walked down the street. Not bothering to check both ways, Lilly crossed the street, mind obviously somewhere else.

"Hey, Lilly!"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. A smile blossomed unintentionally on her lips. "Hey, Mile. What's up?"

"Trying to avoid going home," Miley looped her arm through Lilly's. "Daddy's trying to make us write New Year's resolutions…"

Lilly snickered, "My mom, too. But I didn't get away in time."

"What'd you write, then?"

"Something about getting Oliver a girlfriend, good grades. Junk, y'know?" Lilly shrugged, flushing.

""You are so weird," Miley tightened her grip on her best friend, "and that's why I love you."

"Wanna hit the beach?" Lilly conveniently ignored the moderately cold weather. She could only picture how well Miley filled out those skimpy bathing suits.

"Can't. That would mean going home to get some clothes I don't mind getting dirty. And I don't want Daddy to catch me in the house. And besides, it's January. What would we do at the beach?"

"Build a sandcastle," Lilly tried to defend her reasoning.

"I'd totally be up for a movie, though." Miley hinted.

"What, and get a ride from your dad?"

"Well… we have to do something. I have to stay occupied and it's your job to entertain me. That is what I pay you for, right?" Miley insisted.

"We could hang out in my room," Lilly suggested with a small smirk. And she was the weird one?

"Works for me."

After sneaking past Lilly's mom to get inside, the two girls fell onto Lilly's bed with a barely audible thump – the sound of bed sheets meeting flesh. Reaching underneath her, Miley pulled out a rumpled piece of paper.

"Looks like your mom gave you your goals back," Miley scanned the page before Lilly could snatch it away.

"Like I said, it's really stupid." Lilly stared into Miley's eyes, daring her companion to try and comment or question. Miley broke the eye contact first.

"Yeah, silly stuff."

But she couldn't help but wonder – tell the truth about what?


	2. February

_Second chapter on the second day -- See how I'm actually keeping to my schedule? Amazing, I know. I'm wrapping up June right now in my word processor ((it's my favorite of all the months)). Thanks for the reviews, mes capitaines._

_Happy reading._

* * *

**February: **

"Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day this year?" Lilly tried to veil her sudden interest in Miley's love life with a large, fake yawn.

"Yeah."

The two were hanging out in Miley's room. The stereo played old Hannah Montana songs – upon Lilly's insistence – but they weren't really listening.

Lilly's jaw dropped, "With who?"

"I got a text from Jake," Miley had her head turned away, so she didn't see Lilly's grimace, "He's going to be back in town and wants to take me out. Just as friends, of course."

"Of course," Lilly repeated, voice tinged with sarcasm.

"What? I'm so not letting him too close this time." Miley hurried to reassure. But Lilly wasn't sure who Miley was reassuring.

"Until you're convinced he's truly changed, right?"

"Well…"

Lilly got to her feet, "Well, I better get home. We have that math test tomorrow and my mom's been riding me about those stupid goals I set."

Miley nodded, though she could tell something was amiss. "See you later, then."

Lilly practically ran home.

When Valentine's Day finally rolled around, Lilly just wanted to stay in bed. Miley was hooking up with Jake, Oliver had found company for the evening, and even Jackson had managed to pay a girl to go to a movie with him. Lilly's plans consisted of eating ice cream until she dropped dead.

"Life sucks." She muttered, a smidge too loudly.

Her mom's head popped around the corner with a disapproving frown, "Language."

"Sorry," Lilly huffed, "Life stinks."

"That's better." Lilly could tell her mother was almost completely distracted by something. Heather's head ducked back around the corner and Lilly could hear the cabinets in the bathroom snapping open and closed.

"What's up, mom?" She called, truly curious.

"I've got a date!" Her mother hollered back. "I met the nicest man at work today and he asked me to dinner tonight. Isn't that romantic?"

"Yeah, sure." Lilly grumbled. It seemed like everybody was going out but her. "Well at least one of us is having fun."

"What was that? I couldn't hear you!"

"Nothing, Mom," Lilly yelled, just a tiny bit on edge.

By seven o'clock Lilly was alone in the house. At first she tried watching T.V. down in the living room, but found the house too creaky to get comfortable in. Either that or her nerves wouldn't let her sit still. So she took to pacing the halls of her home, glancing in empty rooms and fiddling with the various knickknacks that lined the tables in every room.

She ended up in her bedroom, sprawled on her bed. Reaching into her pillowcase, she pulled her journal out and grabbed her favorite pen off her bedside table. Licking the nib, she scrawled the date in the top left corner and began to write. Nothing in her journal was about her, per say, but rather what she was feeling delivered through poetry and short fiction.

_She swirled the last remaining drops of sparkling cider in her wine glass, gracing her companion with a charming smile. Well, her companion would be charmed if she had one. The previous night, it had all gone to hell. Quite literally, she scoffed mentally. All she could remember about that fateful evening was dining with a group of her coworkers on the company's bill. And then the building had rocked frightfully and the ceiling had caved down. Everyone had fallen into a state of panic. She, however, retained her cool head and calmly exited the building._

_Outside the restaurant she found the word in an uproar. Cars were overturned, fire hydrants were spurting, and fires burst from tree trunks. She seemed to be the only person on the planet unaffected by the madness, though. Weaving her way through broken glass and destruction, she found her way peacefully home. When she awoke in the morning, the power was out and the streets were deserted._

_She was utterly and entirely alone._

_Figures, she thought bitterly, that the world is now inhabited by the only woman to ever have the good sense not to stay out late at a dinner party._

Lilly dropped her pen to the side with a hollow chuckle. Her writing in the journal was not meant for anybody to ever read, not even herself, so she didn't mind the occasional rotten entry that was riddled with bitter thoughts and barely veiled pain. Sliding the journal back into her pillowcase, she flopped down and stared at the ceiling. She wondered what Miley was doing and tossed and turned for two hours before finally falling asleep.


	3. March

_It's so hard not to post everything at once. If I finish writing the rest of it, I wouldn't feel so bad about updating twice a day. Because I finished writing July, I decided that posting this a little early was no big._

_And thus the truth gets set in motion._

_

* * *

_

**March: **

"It happened in 1812," Lilly tapped the page in the book and stared at her student expectantly, "Got it?"

Her student groaned, "This project is so pointless. Why do I have to know that the war of 1812 happened in 1812?"

Lilly started to answer, "Because…"

"Don't answer that. Better question: Why should I care?"

"Mile, please work with me here. This is my grade, too, y'know, and if you don't present properly during class, I think I'm going to throw a temper tantrum."

Miley rolled her eyes, "Lil, you're eighteen. When are you going to grow up already?"

Lilly met Miley's gaze evenly and tossed her shoulders. She really loved the brilliance of Miley's blue eyes. "Well, I'm scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at three-thirty. But I'm going to call the office and see if I can't reschedule."

"Can we please take a break?" Miley thrust her folded hands out, begging, "Pl-e-e-e-e-ease?"

Lilly's lips twitched and it seemed for a moment that she was never going to give in. But the moment passed and she relented, "Only for like ten minutes, ok?"

"Let's watch a movie!" Miley bounced on the couch.

"In ten minutes?"

Miley tossed a pillow at Lilly, "We have forever to get this project done, Lil. But Lifetime won't be showing _The Feminist and the Very Bad Man_ again until tomorrow!"

"Is that even a real movie title?" Lilly chuckled, relaxing.

Miley shook her head emphatically, "I promise."

While Miley flipped through the channels, Lilly sat in solemn silence. She'd been thinking a great deal about telling Miley the truth, or at least part of it, but she'd always chickened out at the last second. It wasn't that she was afraid of Miley's reaction, but rather the finality of telling her best friend. Not that it was going to change any time soon, but finally saying it out loud felt like she was cementing it into her life.

Almost at the exact same time, the two opened their mouths to say exactly the same thing.

"I have to tell you something. Oh! You first."

Lilly laughed uneasily, "We really need to stop talking at the same time. Nothing gets done."

Miley nodded, "Yeah. Well?"

"No way, you said it first."

Rolling her eyes, Miley rubbed her palms on her thighs, "Ok, so I've always promised to tell you everything, so this is no different. But you have to promise not to get angry with me."

Lilly put her hand on Miley's forearm. Miley couldn't possibly mean what Lilly hoped she did… "Go on, Mile. I won't be mad."

"Well… It's kinda hard to say. I don't think you'll approve…"

"Miley, I'll love you no matter what. You know that." Lilly waited expectantly. This was almost too good to be true.

"Lilly, I… um, well… I'm going steady with Jake."

Lilly's jaw dropped – not the statement she was looking for. "Oh."

Miley cleared her throat, "He's really changed, Lil. I know he's trying, too. You should just give him a chance, okay?"

Lilly managed a nod, hiding her surprise as best she could, "I guess if that's what makes you happy, who am I to stand in the way, right?"

"You're the best, Lils!" Miley latched onto her in a tight hug. Lilly returned it gingerly. "Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

Lilly stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming sixteen wheeler. "Um…"

"Lil, you can totally trust me."

"I know," Lilly responded. She quietly whispered, "Miley… I'm…"

"What?" Miley pushed Lilly's shoulder, trying to get her friend to speak up.

Lilly met Miley's eyes straight on, "I'm gay."


	4. April

_I feel the need to comment that this isn't a traditional story line plot. I'm not going to be picking up the pieces from the previous month, but merely continuing with how things would be effected later. Well, here's April. It currently contains my favorite sentence that I've ever written._

_Bis morgen -_

* * *

**April:**

To say that Lilly was uncomfortable was an understatement. To say that Lilly felt like she was dancing on stage at a Hannah Montana concert wearing only a large red ribbon with an audience filled with pedophiles would have been more accurate. On second thought, she complained bitterly, remove the bow and you'd get how she felt.

"So," she cleared her throat and toyed with her fork, "This is nice."

The rest of the people at the table favored her with an odd look. She gazed at their faces, very certain that they all felt the same way she did. This whole evening had been a huge mistake, she thought. Miley kicked her under the table and she narrowed her eyebrows.

Lilly gave Miley a disdainful look. It had all been Miley's idea, and Lilly still couldn't say no to her best friend even after years of training. So there she was, out to dinner at a fancy-schmancy restaurant with her best friends and Him.

"So, Lilly," Jake began, setting his knife down next to his empty plate, "How long have you and, um, Oliver been together again?"

Oliver chuckled uneasily, "What is it now? Two weeks, darling?"

Lilly wanted to melt into her shoes. Why exactly had Miley thought this would be a good idea? Oh yes – bonding with Jake. Getting to know the real Jake without the pressure of his loving public. That had equated to a private double date.

But unfortunately, Lilly wasn't seeing anyone and nobody past Miley and Oliver knew about her preference, and Oliver was lacking in the relationship department. Miley had struck again, suggesting for the sake of her plans that they attend together.

Pretending to have been dating was just a sick miscommunication on Lilly's part. One that she wished desperately to take back. It would be so much easier, she bemoaned silently, to just tell Jake that she and Oliver were just friends. But now that the lie had started, it had to be kept up, at least until she and Oliver could "break up". Jake was such a problem child.

"Three," she corrected him, feeling more comfortable falling back into bickering.

"Boys," Miley giggled, gazing with adoration in her eyes at Jake, "They can't remember an anniversary for anything."

Jake reached into his jacket, "I remembered that our two month anniversary is today. I got you a little something, Mile."

Miley clutched her hands to her chest, eyes watering. "You shouldn't have."

"You're making me sick," Lilly muttered darkly, "Come on, Ollie, let's get some fresh air."

He followed her, grateful for the break, "Can you say awkward?"

"In, like, sixteen different languages," Lilly languished in the dim moonlight.

"It's really killing you, isn't it?" Oliver wrapped his arms around her tightly, "Seeing them together."

"Only a little bit," Lilly admitted, returning his embrace briefly. She shoved him away after a few calm moments. "But that's just between the two of us."

"Of course," he responded.

They stood for a while, side by side, waiting for the drama inside to cool down. Oliver occasionally favored Lilly with a sympathetic gaze, which she promptly ignored. She was quite content to keep her thoughts to herself and she didn't need his pity. What she really needed was for that blonde superstar in there to just keel over and die.

Eventually they were joined by the happy couple, Miley sporting a shining, bejeweled ring about one finger. Linking arms with Lilly, she sighed with happiness. Lilly could practically hear Miley's thoughts.

_Oh_, Lilly mimicked in her mind, _Jake is so great. He's so different now. I love him sooo much. I'm going to get married to him and not invite you to the wedding because you're soooo unimportant now that I have a boyfriend._

"What could be better than this?" Miley questioned, not expecting an answer.

Lilly had an answer, but chose not to say anything.


	5. May

_Once again, thanks to everybody who takes a moment of their time to review. I truly appreciate the effort. And besides-- it prompts me to finish things more quickly. I'm starting to write August and if I can get that and September done, I'll post June tonight._

_Happy reading._

* * *

**May:**

Miley flipped a page in her magazine, blowing off stray flecks of sand. The breeze was kicking up a good deal of sandy-debris, and most of it was flying down the crack in the magazine. She wore a skimpy bikini as the weather had heated back up again and she was quite interested in earning her tan back.

Lilly lay next to her, sunglasses perched atop her nose. They were dark enough that nobody on the outside could tell if she was asleep or awake – which meant they were less likely to bother her, she figured. It was driving her crazy, being so close to Miley. She could feel the other girl's body heat seeping across the minimal distance and caressing her skin.

Tapping the page excitedly, Miley gasped. Lilly stirred and sat up, lowering the glasses.

"What's up?"

Miley tapped again, "This is the dress! I'm going to wear it to prom!"

Lilly gazed at the creamy pink dress featured in the picture, allowing her imagination to wander off on its own.

_Miley came down the staircase – not the one in the Stewart residence, but one somewhere else, one that winded gently and had a pure white banister – and paused on the bottom step to pose for a picture. The dress hugged her curves perfectly; it was a strapless number that followed her chest and abdomen tightly, but poofed around her hips and cascaded widely to ankle length. Under the hem of the dress, Lilly could see the pink high heels that held Miley's manicured feet._

"_You look wonderful," Lilly whispered, suddenly wishing she was wearing more than the slim-fitting blue dress that was currently adorning her body. She knew she paled in comparison to her brunette best friend – and date for the evening._

"_Thanks, Lil. You look amazing, too." Miley practically glided across the floor, pressing a tender kiss on Lilly's cheek. "I'm so glad I dumped Jake and asked you to prom."_

"_He wasn't good enough for you, Mile." Lilly was completely agreeable on this point._

"_He didn't know how to treat me right, make me happy, not like you do." Miley fluttered her eyelashes, "You're the only one for me."_

"Beautiful." She murmured.

Miley bounced in the sand, "I know! Do you think Daddy'll let me buy it?"

Lilly snapped to attention, pushing her daydreams away so that she could properly pay attention. "I'm sure you could convince him. You'll have to take lots of pictures."

Miley sighed, "Are you sure you're not going to go to prom?"

Lilly nodded, "Yeah. Too much of a couple's deal."

"You could still as Michelle to go with you." Miley attempted to entice Lilly.

Grimacing slightly, Lilly shook her head, "One date with that… that thing was enough for me."

Miley pouted, "Michelle wasn't that bad. I mean, she was always so nice to me."

"Did you go out to dinner with her? Spend more than half an hour in her presence?" Lilly demanded, "It was always me, me, me, me, me, me! And frankly that's a little hard to listen to after a while."

"Well." Miley was flabbergasted for only a moment, "You never know. Maybe someone will ask you. I mean, we have a month until the actual dance."

Holding back a snort of derision, Lilly resumed her laidback position, "And pigs might fly."

Miley folded up her magazine, dog-earing the page with her dress. "Well, I need to go home. Daddy needed some help in the yard and I promised to pitch in. And hopefully this'll sweeten him up for when I ask for this dress."

Lilly raised a limp hand in response, wanting to be alone with her thoughts. She waited until Miley was out of sight before relaxing completely. Her peace was soon interrupted, though, by Oliver's shadow looming over her.

"Lil, I got a question for you."

Lilly yawned, and fully removed the sunglasses. "What's up, Ollie?"

"Well… my mom really wants me to go to the prom with a nice girl and I told her that I didn't know any nice girls that I wanted to take to the prom and I wasn't going to go to the prom without a date, no way, no how! But she said that I had to go, it was her last chance as a mother to dress me up like in a monkey suit and take pictures like mad. So I have to find a girl that won't be expecting anything when the evening ends, even though my mom expects us to be out really late, and probably expects us to getting into mischief. So you were my first thought."

Lilly blinked. "What?"

"Lilly, you gotta go to prom with me."


	6. June

_Let's just pretend I got September done. I just couldn't not update. It's one of my many faults -- lack of patience. I also have a lack of patients, ever since the feds got wind of the fact that I don't have a medical license. o.o_

* * *

**June: **

Lilly stared at her reflection with a decided frown hanging about her face. She was only doing this as a favor to Oliver, she reassured herself. It wasn't like she was going just to keep an eye on Miley and Jake…

"Lilly, Oliver's here!" Mrs. Truscott yelled through the house. It was much too much effort to actually look for her daughter.

"I'll just be one more minute, Mom!" She hollered back.

She licked her lips and promptly dried them with a hand towel and applied a light layer of lip gloss. It wasn't like she was out to attract anybody's attention, but she felt that going to prom deserved a little more primping than she was used to. Her cheeks were lightly dabbed with blush, her eyelashes were long and black, and her eyelids were colored a dark blue to match her dress.

Oliver was dressed rather smartly in a clean pressed tuxedo. His lank tie was the exact blue of her dress and the boutonniere he sported was a mix of pale white flowers and periwinkle blue. He carried a small box – her corsage, she correctly deduced – which was a matching set.

He slid the corsage onto her wrist with an apologetic smile. Having known Lilly since pre-school, he knew that this dance was not her idea of a good time. He felt honored, though, that she would put up with it for him.

They posed briefly for a picture – Lilly's mother insisted on collecting memories – before heading out the door. They had both decided to skip dinner, in the interest of not prolonging the discomfort of the evening any longer than they had to. Using Oliver's car to go to the banquet hall where the prom was actually being held, they drove in relative silence. Oliver tried to compliment Lilly's dress, but she only sighed and gave him a sad smile in response.

Once inside they were subjected to another round of photographs before being released into the masses of celebrating seniors. Lilly kept an eye out for Miley even as she and Oliver shared a dance, got refreshments, and generally socialized. Much to her disappointment, however, she didn't glimpse her friend once.

Oliver tugged on her elbow, gathering her attention for once onto him. "Can you at least try to have a good time? You're making me feel guilty."

She smiled at him and nodded, "I'm sorry, Oliver. I just… I don't know. I wanted to see her, I guess. And I can't."

Oliver slid an arm around her waist, "I know I'm not Miley substitute, but give me a chance, will ya?"

Chuckling, she set her head on his shoulder, "You know, if I was into your kind, you'd be way up on the list, right?"

He kissed her cheek, "I know."

When the clock struck 10:30, Lilly pulled Oliver away from the mob of prom-goers. She was officially done putting up with the noise and the abundance of rowdy people. Reluctantly following her out to the car, he spread his arms above his head and stretched.

"Please tell me you had at least a smidge of fun."

She grinned mischievously, "Only a smidge."

The tension between them evaporated into the cool night air.

"So where would you like to go?" Oliver opened the car door for her, like any gentleman should. "Since my mom doesn't expect me home for a few more hours at least."

Lilly pondered a moment before speaking, "Can we just go to the beach. It'll be nice and quiet and peaceful there."

He nodded, "For you, my dear, anything. The Ollie-Trolley is hot to trot!"

She stared out the window as they drove down darkened streets, deep in thought. Oliver touched her arm at a stop sign, but she barely noticed. When he parked at the beach, she finally looked up and emitted a large, heart-felt sigh.

"Lil, what's up?" Oliver asked, concern tingeing his voice.

"I… It's nothing." Lilly murmured.

"Come on. You know I won't tell anybody else." Oliver coaxed.

"It's just that, well, I can't help but wonder if Miley's with Jake. Well, I mean, duh, she is. But what if he wants to have sex with her. It is prom night, and all." Lilly whispered, "What if she lets him do it."

Oliver leaned over to give her a one-armed hug. "You know Miley better than that. You know she wouldn't do that unless she knew she truly loved her partner."

Lilly sighed, staring at the stars dotting the sky, "I hope so…"


	7. July

_Whoops. I missed my update. Er... here's July._

_Without further ado:_

* * *

**July:**

"I just don't think I can do it anymore."

Lilly stared at Miley with a rather blank look adorning her face. "Do what? To who?"

That elicited a small chuckle from the brunette. She placed her book face down on the table and leaned across so she wouldn't have to speak so loud. "Remember prom night?"

Somehow Lilly didn't want to hear what came next, but she nodded anyways, "I didn't get to see you, but yeah."

"Well…" Miley glanced around at the busy library. "Can we take this somewhere more private?"

Lilly rolled her eyes, "And here I thought you wanted to get some peace and quiet."

"But someone might overhear!" Miley retorted.

"Mile, we're not in high school anymore. So not the drama. And besides, who's going to gossip about you here?" Lilly gestured to the other patrons who were wrapped up in various books, "The nerds?"

"Jake and I…" her voice dropped an octave, "we had sex."

Lilly's mouth dropped, "Miley! How could you?"

Miley raised a quizzical eyebrow, but lowered it as her face heated with a blush. "It just felt right at the time. But it wasn't fun for me."

Lilly tilted her head, "Of course not. Jake Ryan is only concerned about his own pleasure. He probably didn't even care."

"I faked it, Lil. I didn't want to ruin his night by complaining about his… performance."

Lilly chuckled, "I can see the headlines now." She spread her hands in front of her. "Jake Ryan: Hero on Screen, Zero in Bed."

Miley shook her head, "I think there's something wrong with me. I know I'm not his first. And well, nobody's complained before."

_Perhaps_, Lilly thought, though she dared not voice it, _perhaps you weren't meant to sleep with boys._ Instead she shrugged, "What's right for other people isn't always right for you."

"I'm breaking up with him." Miley declared softly.

Lilly's pulse picked up, "For good?"

"For good. I tried out the self-obsessed Jake. Didn't like him. I tried the somewhat changed Jake. Didn't like him. I tried the new Jake. Didn't like him. I think it's time I moved on."

Lilly put her hands on top of Miley's and finally said one of the few things she'd been dying to tell her best friend, "I'm so glad. He wasn't good enough for you."

"I do hope he doesn't make a fuss about this." Miley re-picked up her book and skimmed the page before continuing. Lilly figured she was deciding on what to say. "I'd hate for him to say something he doesn't mean."

"Why not?"

"I don't love him, Lil. But I don't hate him."

Lilly sighed heavily, "Do it privately and make sure he knows you want to be on good terms. Then hope for the best."

Miley nodded, "I had thought to do it that way, too."

Pressing questions wouldn't let Lilly leave the subject alone. "So you did it. Just once?"

Miley flushed and threw a hand over her eyes, "I started making excuses when he wanted to."

"Like what?"

"Do I have to answer that?"

Lilly was clearly enjoying herself, "Yes."

"Like I had homework to do. Or that Daddy wanted me home so I could do chores in the morning. Or it was family game night."

Barely concealing her glee, Lilly grinned, "And he just accepted it?"

"What could he do?" Miley questioned, "When I say no, he knows I mean no."

"If you need to talk afterwards, you've got my number." Lilly offered.

"We'll see," Miley leaned back in her chair, "But a more important issue… What in the world are we doing in the library on a warm summer day?"

Lilly stretched, closing her book, "Peace? Quiet? You wanted them?"

"Ah, yes. And now I want the sun. Let's go."

"What am I?" Lilly pretended to bemoan her fate, "Your lackey?"

"Would you prefer the term minion?"

Lilly nodded, "Lackey is so five minutes ago."


	8. August

_I know I'm running a little behind on these chapters, but to be fair, I've started feeling under the weather. So hopefully things will stay right on track._

_Thanks oodles for the poodles... Er... The reviews._

* * *

**August:**

Lilly picked up the c.d. and peered at the song list on the back. Twisting her lips to the side, she tried to decide if it was worth the fifteen bucks. She set it back down with a small shake of her head. Miley was a few racks over browsing the country section, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Lilly bit her lip and steeled herself.

She walked over, nearly tiptoeing, though she didn't know why. With one last deep breath, Lilly put her hand on Miley's elbow. She forced a smile onto her trembling lips. Every fiber of her being wanted to turn tail and run. But no, she scolded cowardly self, she just had to get over the proverbial hump.

"Hey, Mile. What're you looking at?" Her voice, at least, sounded assured.

Miley glanced up and grinned, "Just some of my dad's old music. His mullet is totally old school."

Lilly rubbed her thumb softly around the crook of Miley's arm, "I take it you got your good looks from your mother? But she probably wasn't as gorgeous as you."

Miley chuckled and blushed, "Nah… but thanks for feeding my ego, Lil. I need it after Jake…"

Lilly scowled at that. Jake, quite possibly the stupidest male on the planet, had revealed that he'd been seeing another girl on the side after Miley had dumped him. Lilly knew it was his petty revenge on Miley. It had destroyed Miley's self-image and Lilly was determined to do two things: 1) Rebuild that image; and 2) Get Miley to look at her the way Miley used to look at Jake. Unfortunately, all that had happened so far was number one.

Withdrawing her hand, Lilly wilted slightly. "Wanna hit the food court?"

"Sure." Miley replaced the c.d. she'd been looking at on the rack. She grabbed Lilly's wrist and practically dragged the other girl out of the store and into the mainstream mall.

Lilly enjoyed the small contact, for all she was feeling like she was getting nowhere. When they finally took a seat with a pile of food between them, she gazed at Miley and waited to be noticed. Oliver had given her a few tips on getting a girl's interest, and Lilly hoped they'd help.

"Do I have something on my face?"

Lilly cleared her throat, "Sorry, I was just noticing how nice your eyes are."

"Thanks, Lil. I love your eyes, too."

Lilly twitched almost imperceptibly. Miley wasn't taking this the right way. "And your skin is so perfect."

"Well, you did give me some really nice lotion a few weeks ago." Miley was quite agreeable. She scooped up a forkful of food and munched, smiling.

"Yeah…" Lilly trailed off.

"So, are you ready to go to college yet?" Miley wiped the edges of her lips with a napkin.

That caused a jolt of panic to rocket through Lilly's body. It was difficult to even think about having to leave Miley. While Lilly was headed for U.C.L.A., Miley was taking a year off to go on an extended Hannah Montana Tour. It would cap off Hannah's career and Hannah would forever disappear.

Lilly nodded slowly. "I'm pretty much packed. My roommate is bringing most of the electronics, but I'm bringing a bunch of our snacks for the first few months."

Miley sighed, "I'm going to miss you so much. But I'll make sure to visit every few months."

"Mile, I'm really sorry Lola can't go with you." Lilly murmured. She'd considered following in Miley's footsteps and taking a year off, but her mother had been adamant against the idea.

Miley's smile returned to her lips, "I understand. I'll always come back to you. You're the only one for me."

And for secluded moment in time, Lilly let hope swell in her chest.


	9. September

_I'm a horrible person, I know, for breaking my schedule. But what I hadn't counted on when deciding that was the fact that my mother was going to go on a cleaning crusade. The last week or so of my life has been devoted to getting the house clean for our foreign visitor. Bleh. I'm going to try to get the rest of this story up by tomorrow evening._

_Toodles --_

* * *

**September: **

Lilly glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed deeply. In fourteen hours, Miley would be on a plane flying out of her life. Her face was morose, quite like that of a puppy expecting to get kicked at any given moment.

"Lilly, don't give me that face," Miley taunted, trying to knock Lilly out of her funk. "Isn't it good enough that we get one last sleep over before you head off to college and I head off to destination unknown?"

Lilly shrugged, despondent. Miley slung an arm around her shoulders, shaking Lilly briefly. Lilly flopped with no resistance.

"Don't be such a downer!" Miley insisted again. "I'll be back before you know it. And who knows! Maybe you'll find some special girl at college who'll make you forget all about me and Oliver."

Lilly rolled her eyes; like that'd ever happen. "Mile, like that'd ever happen."

Sighing, Miley shook her head, "If you keep talking like that, it probably won't."

Lilly crossed her arms defensively, "Maybe I don't want that to happen."

"Whatever," Miley muttered, not willing to push the issue further. "Are we going to watch a movie or what?"

Grumbling under her breath, Lilly turned the DVD player on and leaned back against her wall. There was a wall of pillows propped up behind their backs with the purpose of comfort, and Lilly pressed all her weight against them. Miley snuggled in against her side, tossing an arm on Lilly's waist. Lilly closed her eyes, imagining.

_Miley's arm was still for most of the movie, though she occasionally moved it to rub a caring circle on Lilly's inner thigh – sending gentle shivers up Lilly's spine. Lilly had her own arm wrapped lovingly around Miley's shoulders, her thumb rubbing the bare flesh of Miley's forearm._

_They'd only been dating for a few weeks, but Lilly knew what they had was special. There was no other girl in the world that would be so content to sit there, watch a movie, and cuddle for hours on end with her. And if there was, Lilly wouldn't want her. As far as Lilly was concerned, Miley was the only one for her._

_As the credits rolled, Lilly tilted her head down, and kissed the crown of Miley's head, inhaling the flowery scent of Miley's hair. Miley's responded the touch by leaning so their noses were touching._

"_Lilly…"_

_Lilly smiled and puckered her lips ever so slightly. She waited a moment for her kiss._

"Lilly?" Miley giggled, "Are you going to hit play or not?"

Lilly blushed. "Yeah, yeah."

With the movie finally started, Lilly relaxed, letting her thoughts drift away. She'd already seen the movie Miley had picked, so she knew she'd be able to talk about it later. Daydreaming suited her much better. Before she knew it, though, she was in a half-asleep state. She had her eyes closed – they felt like heavy lead weights against her eyeballs – and couldn't have lifted them even if she felt like it. She could vaguely hear the world going on without her, but her brain whirled in circles.

Miley glanced at her as the movie progressed and smiled. Lilly was so… so adorable when she slept. Biting her upper lip in contemplation, Miley weighed her options. She'd never kissed another girl before, and she had to admit that she was very curious. And she knew Lilly wouldn't mind.

So maybe… maybe just a quick peck while Lilly slept wouldn't go awry.

Lilly sighed deeply in her restful state, almost sure that the kiss she'd just gotten from her dream-Miley was actually real.


	10. October

_Tomorrow I plan to post the remaining two chapters. Until then, here's October, complete with the return of everyone's favorite male._

_It's hard to refrain from giggling._

* * *

**October:**

Lilly stared in the mirror. Her costume made her want to wrench violent heaves of disgust free from her stomach, but she refrained in the interest of not offending her date for the evening. She'd tried very hard to get over Miley while attending classes at U.C.L.A., but found it a difficult task. As a diversion, Lilly had allowed a pretty red-head to take her out on a few dates.

Lilly had no problem having a good time, and it did help her aching heart in short doses. So a few dates had turned into a semi-serious relationship. But Lilly knew that Melissa was more into her than she was into Melissa. Still, there was nothing holding Lilly back from going to a fraternity-based Halloween party with Melissa.

It was as if Melissa was looking to make Lilly melt into a shameful puddle on the floor – she'd decided the two of them would be going as Sweet and Sour. Lilly had the lovely job of being Sweet, which entailed wearing a short white skirt, a stomach-baring white tube top, and little else. Melissa was dressed just as scantily, but seemed to be enjoying herself a lot more than Lilly was.

"Lilly, are you ready yet?"

Lilly groaned and tugged the end of her skirt, trying to make it reach beyond her upper thigh, "You do realize you're setting us up to get into male-based trouble tonight, right?"

"Well," Melissa flounced into the room and gave Lilly a quick peck on the cheek, "I'll have you as my arm-candy, so there shouldn't be a problem."

Lilly tugged one last time, "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"Don't be so antisocial, dear." Melissa chuckled dryly as Lilly bowed her head. "And besides, I heard that Jake Ryan's going to be there. You know, the hottie T.V. star?"

Lilly grimaced, "I know him. I almost went to a school dance with him once, and he went to prom with my best friend."

Mel whistled, "Well, see, you won't be completely alone at the party. So let's go, okay?"

At the party, Lilly found herself abandoned at the punch bowl as Melissa weaved through the crowds, socializing and making new connections. Lilly had grown more introverted in college, though she enjoyed smaller gatherings on occasion. But something this large was making her want to just go spend some alone time.

"Lilly? Lilly Truscott?"

Lilly raised her eyebrows and turned to face the speaker, "Mr. Ryan."

"It's just Jake. I mean, we're practically friends." Jake looked equally uncomfortable in this situation, which threw Lilly through a loop.

"Why are you so uptight?"

"These frat parties are so… Loud and stupid…" Jake tried to explain, "I'm only here because the fraternity paid me to come and draw in new pledges."

"Oh." Lilly sipped her drink, tasting the sharp tang of alcohol in her drink. She set it down, not interested in getting into drunken trouble.

"So how have you been?"

Lilly shrugged, "Been better."

"Do you like college here?"

Another shrug, "It's ok. I miss Miles, though."

"Yeah, me too. Look, have you talked to Miley lately?"

"About two weeks ago, I think." Lilly tilted her head, "What's up?"

"I've been trying to contact her, but she's not taking my calls, not answering my e-mails, nothing."

"Maybe she doesn't want to talk to you."

"Well, I want to talk to her. I've been hearing… rumors." Jake was almost inaudible over the music.

"Rumors?"

Jake nodded, "I've heard that she's been going around with this girl. Heard they've been seen kissing."

Lilly's jaw dropped and her heart sank.


	11. November

_I'm running a little behind. AP Physics is kicking my butt right now. Gimme a few minutes to try and finish off December. _

_Thanks._

* * *

**November:**

The large table full of diners was nearly silent. All conversations were conducted with hushed tones and only between direct neighbors. Lilly's eyes were glued stolidly on her plate – she refused to make eye contact with Miley, who sat across from her. Miley, on the other hand, had her eyes trained on Lilly's forehead, trying to will the other girl into looking back.

Thanksgiving was never this awkward in the past, Lilly complained mentally. She just couldn't bring herself to look Miley in the eye. It just hurt too much. To find out your best friend is gay from the friend's ex-boyfriend and never hear it from your friend's mouth…

"Lilly… Can I talk to you?" Miley whispered, voice low enough so that nobody else would take notice.

"Oh, so now you want to talk to me?" Lilly bit back, bitter.

"Please." Miley insisted.

Lilly relented, though her feelings were still bruised, "Where?"

"Can we go to Rico's?"

"It won't be open today." Lilly responded. "Though you probably wouldn't remember that."

Miley had the decency to look wounded; Lilly felt marginally better.

"Okay… I guess I deserved that." Miley's tone was low; Lilly felt marginally worse.

"Let's go." Lilly pushed her seat back from the table, not bothering to make an excuse to their confused family members.

The moon hung in the sky, surrounded by clouds and dimly blinking stars. Lilly shivered slightly in the cool near-Winter breeze. She hadn't bothered to pull a sweatshirt on when leaving the house, and almost regretted the lack of action.

"Lilly, I think I owe you an apology."

Lilly cocked an eyebrow, "Ya think?"

Miley nodded, "I think."

Lilly crossed her arms, almost defensive, "Whatever for?"

"I, well… Lils, I think I'm gay." Miley cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Yeah, I know." Lilly spat out. "I had the honor of hearing it Jake Ryan about a month ago. Not from you."

"I wasn't sure…" Miley started.

"I told you first thing. Before anybody else, Miley Rae Stewart. You could have had the decency to return the favor." Lilly made sure to keep a healthy distance between the two of them.

"I'm sorry, Lil! I just didn't want to do this over the phone…"

"And you with all your thousands of dollars could come home for one freakin' weekend to see me and chat." Lilly felt better for getting this out into the open. It had been festering in her heart for a long time.

Miley hung her head, "I was afraid, Lil."

"Of me? I came out to you; I would love and accept you no matter what."

"Yes." Miley's head couldn't get any lower.

"I don't want to hear it, Stewart. You hurt me and I will not let you do it again." Lilly turned her back on Miley.

"What's the real problem here?" Miley yelled, her meekness taking the backseat to her confused anxiety.

"You." Lilly retorted.

"There's obviously something going here, if you're giving me this big a cold shoulder for something so stupid!" Miley riposted.

"Maybe there is." Lilly sniffed. "Maybe there isn't."

"So what is it?" Miley latched her hand onto Lilly's arm. "What?"

Lilly stared at the hand. "It should have been me."

She shook her arm free and ran from Miley as fast as she could.


	12. December

_Last chapter. Happy December. In March._

_Thanks for the support, captains._

* * *

**December:**

New Year's Eve just didn't feel right for Lilly. There was no mother hovering by shoulder to make her make resolutions. There was no mother reprimanding her for drinking a glass of wine as a frat party continued to party-hearty.

She sighed, swirling the red liquid in her glass and chuckled dryly as she flashed upon her goals from the year before. She'd only really completed a few of them. She did eat healthier, she did graduate, and she got a slightly better grade in math. Finding Oliver a girlfriend proved near impossible and she'd never actually told the truth.

Another year, another set of goals that would never get done.

"Lilly?" Melissa tugged on the crook of Lilly's arm, her eyes slightly glazed. Lilly shook her ex-girlfriend off.

"What is it?"

"You look so down, pumpkin." Melissa slurred her words slightly.

"You look so drunk," Lilly responded and moved away to find herself some open space. Melissa and her had had a messy break-up; Lilly had tried to return Melissa's forgotten cell phone, only to walk in on her supposed girlfriend with a frat boy, both quite naked and both quite oblivious to her presence.

It was a nice Christmas present, Lilly thought with a tinge of sarcasm.

She found her way through the house, dodging horny men as she went. Eventually she'd hidden herself by the pool. It was empty outside, as the weather was not good enough for partiers to be comfortable in the chilly winter air. She pulled her sweater closer to her body for good measure.

"Lilly…"

Lilly closed her eyes, hoping this interruption would leave her be. "What is it now, Melissa?"

"Who's Melissa and should I be jealous?"

"Miley?" Lilly's eyes fluttered open. Indeed, Miley stood a few feet away from her.

"I'm glad you're talking to me. You haven't returned any of my calls…" Miley hesitated. "I want to know what you meant."

"When?" Lilly was just acting obtuse. She knew exactly what Miley referred to.

"On the beach. At Thanksgiving." Miley was willing to jump through all Lilly's hoops.

"Oh, that." Lilly turned her attention to the pool's water, watching the moon reflect on the glimmering surface. "Nothing."

"Oh come on."

Lilly paused a few moments, thinking. She may never get Oliver a girlfriend, but she had a chance to cross one more goal off her list before the year ended and her chance fled.

"Do you remember my list of goals last year?"

"Yeah, I think so. Stupid stuff, right?"

"I think it's time I told the truth."

Miley's eyes widened and her heart picked up the pace, "About what?"

"The first half you already know. The other half… I'm half in love with you." Lilly admitted slowly.

"Crazy blonde say what?"

"And on the beach I meant that I always thought I'd be the one to turn you."

Miley blushed, "Seriously?"

"I'd always hoped that I'd be the one who'd steal your first girl-kiss, steal your breath away, steal your heart. Guess that'd never happen."

"Well…"

"Well what?" Lilly demanded. She'd put it all out there and was feeling very vulnerable.

"You were my first… how did you put it? … 'Girl kiss'… When you were sleeping, I took one." Miley rubbed her forearms.

Lilly practically fell over. "Are you kidding me?"

"No." Miley smiled shyly, "And… well, there's always a chance that you might just steal my heart."

Lilly licked her lips gingerly; she could hear the roar from inside getting quiet. The countdown was coming. As the crowds inside initiated the counting, Lilly closed the distance between the two of them.

Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven.

"It's good luck to kiss as the ball drops," Lilly hinted.

Six. Five. Four. Three. Two.

"I'd hate to break tradition." Miley flirted.

One.


End file.
